Conventional reclosable mechanical fasteners releasably close, so as to allow later reopening. Known reclosable mechanical fasteners typically have fastenable surfaces fabricated from metal or thermoplastic resins. Examples of such thermoplastic resins include polyesters (e.g., poly(ethylene terephthalate)), polyamides, poly(styrene-acrylonitrile), poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), polyolefins (e.g., polypropylene and polypropylene/polyethylene copolymers), and plasticized polyvinyl chloride.
Examples of reclosable mechanical fasteners include those sold under the VELCRO trade designation and which are available from Velcro USA, Inc. of Manchester, N.H. Other reclosable mechanical fasteners are sold under the SCOTCHMATE and DUAL LOCK trade designations and are available from Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. of St. Paul, Minn. Such fasteners have found widespread use for fastening a variety of materials, such as clothing and diapers. Other uses for such fasteners include attaching interior panels in airplanes and automotive dashboards. Reclosable mechanical fasteners are also widely used for sealing food products, such as in plastic bags sold by S.C. Johnson Wax of Racine, Wis., under the trade designation ZIPLOC.
One disadvantage of many reclosable mechanical fasteners to date, however, is that they often do not have enough strength to be useful in some applications, such as in structural or semi-structural applications, where strength requirements may be very rigorous. Furthermore, reclosable mechanical fasteners that can provide permanent attachments are desired.